Trollstigen Viewpoint & Architecture

OVERVIEW

Drive along one of Norway’s most dramatic and mountainous stretches of road – where trolls supposedly roam at night – and stop at attractions that add to the mythical allure. The deeper you drive into the countryside, the more staggeringly beautiful the landscape will become. Still, nothing can prepare you for Trollstigen, the so-called Troll’s Road that climbs through the precipitous mountains. The road is narrow, steep and full of hairpin turns. While pausing at the Gudbrandsjuvet lookout, you can snap photos of the impossibly deep ravines and hear folk legends associated with them. Coming upon the Old Stordal Church will offer a glimpse into real life centuries ago. Itinerant rural artists painted nearly every square inch of its interior with decorative roses and Biblical figures in a style known as rosemaling. The two century-old cobblestone bridges at Skodje are another manmade wonder as they were once Norway’s longest masonry road bridges.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Be awed by the steep mountainous landscape with driving the incredibly serpentine Troll’s Road.
• Stop at spectacularly scenic lookouts and hear folk legends about the surrounding countryside.
• Behold the decoratively painted interior of the old “Rose” Church in Skordal.
• Snap photos of two historical cobblestone bridges from the new bridge that replaced them.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.